Korean scriptwriter: I love pho

July 2, 2007

Korean scriptwriter: I love pho

16:58′ 25/06/2007 (GMT+7)

Kwon In Chan in Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – Award-winning Korean scriptwriter, Kwon In Chan, talked about the making of Scent of Coriander, an ambitious 100-episode Korean-Vietnamese joint venture about pho (Vietnamese noodles) currently being broadcast on HTV7.

To understand Vietnamese people’s thinking and lifestyle, you’ve spent 6 months in Vietnam. So what have you learned about them?

I have met many high school students and other young people in Vietnam in order to understand what they wanted for their future. I’m very interested in Vietnam and Vietnamese culture and want to help breathe new life into Vietnamese TV films.

I love to eat Vietnamese pho. In Korea, I eat a lot of pho. And I’ve learned that two important unique features of Vietnamese culture are pho and ao dai (traditional dress). In Scent of Coriander, ao dai frequently appear.

After being broadcast on HTV, the film will also be translated into Korean and broadcast on Korean TV. And I hope that through Scent of Coriander, the relationship between the two countries’ scriptwriters, directors and audiences will be closer.

What if Vietnamese audiences think that Scent of Coriander smells more Korean than Vietnamese?

As the scriptwriter, I think it isn’t Korean at all. Yet, the film team includes 8 Korean members, so it may be unavoidable for the film to have some sort of a Korean motif.

Have Vietnamese filmmakers bought another multi-episode script from you?

Yes. It is Magical Boy. The film has also been produced in Korea and received warm support from the public. This is a cute and interesting film, which will be produced by Vietnamese directors and cast Vietnamese actors.